Parents in Australia have many questions about the food provided to children attending long day care and sessional kindergarten. Do children eat food provided by the centre, or can parents send food from home? To what extent are halal and vegetarian dietary requirements accommodated? And how are sensitive issues such as food allergies managed?
SBS Urdu spoke in detail with Amina Javed, an expert with 15 years of experience, to answer these questions
According to Amina Javed, most long day care centres in Victoria provide food for children themselves. However, some centres have policies that allow parents to send food from home, particularly for children who are fussy eaters.
She said parents are asked about dietary requirements, such as vegetarian or halal food, when their child enrols, and centres generally accommodate these requirements.
However, food allergies—particularly severe allergies such as anaphylaxis—are taken extremely seriously because they can be life-threatening. For children with allergies, a specific action plan is developed in consultation with their doctor and displayed prominently in every room. All educators also receive annual first aid and CPR training so they are well prepared to respond to an allergic emergency.
